Cafes
Red Tea Box
The Red Tea Box is a teashop and lunch spot on Queen West that's been around for about a decade. In addition to their vast tea selection, they offer a number of unique desserts, various tea accessories, and a full service kitchen, though they don't serve dinner or booze.
The front of the shop displays a centre table filled with detailed desserts and delights, such as elaborate wedding and specialty cakes. There's a double-tier flowerless (gluten free) orange almond apricot cake, chocolate hazelnut toffee cake, chocolate fudge spice cake, and vanilla rose petal white chocolate cake (very popular I'm told). As you'd expect, some of their desserts are even infused with tea, such as their Maccha cheesecake (Maccha is fine powdered green tea).
Loose-leaf tea here is a little pricier than other stores (Davids, Tea Empoirum etc.), as cups-to-go sells for $4.75. Two ounces of their loose-leaf tea usually sell between $12-21. Their tea selection is available at the front of the store, most of it stored in an antique Chinese medicine chest that sits by the cash.
Other drinks on the menu include a Hot Spicy Chai ($5.75) and Mauled Cranberry Ginger Pear ($5.75).
The Red Tea Box also offers afternoon tea and tea bentos which are bento boxes of food accompanied by a pot of tea. Their Southeast Asian Tea Bento is served with kaffir lime tartlets w/ mango curd, matcha cheesecake, spiced salmon burgers w/ pineapple & herb salsa & pulled chicken and mushroom taro croquettes. Other lunch options include soup (pumpkin and ginger), sandwiches (spiced Indian chicken) and salads (quinoa crusted salmon).
While there are a couple places to sit at the front of the store, I would choose to sit in their back courtyard, which is a beautiful space filled with several tables of tea drinkers and schmoozer's. Beyond this, there is a separate coach house-type space with even more seating. This room is dressed with antique furniture and art. Cliché as it may be, it's perfect for an afternoon tea.
Some of their eclectic accessories include various tea trays, cups, saucers, tea cozys (these cover your tea pot for warmth), and unique utensils such as their 'Maccha Bowls' which are for grinding tea, and Vietnamese Lacquers which are boxes or trays for holding tea. Many of their accessories are handmade pieces imported from Vietnam, Thailand and Morocco.
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but whoever the lady is upfront (asian woman) should get fired. and if she owns the place, she should get some lessons on how to deal with customers.
the food was okay. we got the beef sandwich and mushroom soup. the sandwich was tasty. so was the soup, but it was obvious that it was reheated. i didn't have to blow on my soup or wait for it to cool down (like their tea) to have some.
and the biggest disappointment (besides poor management) was dessert. the bill came up to $35, which is fine, but not if almost half of it was spent on a chocolate malt layered cake that was old (it was too crumbly). too much fondant, little cake. i feel like i paid $11 just to eat fondant.
all in all...i'd probably go back. but like anonymous, i'll just avoid the b!tch (or maybe just bitch at her back) and have dessert elsewhere.
I find a lot of times people want to go for loud socialization, laughing, joking etc. but this isn't the place for that (if that's what you want go to a pub). You can't change the atmosphere to fit the people, the people have to respect the atmosphere.
Also, it's definitely not a place for children.
It's ideal for relaxing, chilling with friends, light casual gossip over a warm cup of tea and mouth watering food.
as for the comment saying that the place is not for socializing or children... not everyone is a single person without kids who wants to go to a cafe and sit alone... (i'm single without kids and i occasionally like to sit places alone, so i'm speaking quite objectively).
if you're in the public eye running an establishment as people-friendly as a cafe, your establishment should be kid friendly, and definitely friendly to people who want to socialize! you can't put people in a social atmosphere (tea drinking, which since the beginning of time was about getting together at tea time with people and chatting).. and then expect everyone to sit in silence...?! what's up with that..
she sounds like a rather bitter lady, unfortunately, because her tea shop looks quite cute and i would love to visit it but customer service is very important to me... i'm one of those letter-writing people who can't stand poor customer service. i'm not going to waste my time or money there, especially since there's lots of cute places with tea and desserts to go visit... maybe not all in the same place, but that'll just mean i'll have to go to two different places .. oh darn.. ;o)
thanks again for your comments!
if you think it's some sort of ad hominem or some racist comment, it isn't. i'm not saying she's rude because she's asian.
i was just being specific.
Having said that, their cakes are awesome...
They're open Monday(till 6), Wednesday(till 6), Thursday(till 6), Friday(till 7), Saturday(10-7), and Sunday(12-5) every week. Tuesday is their rest day. The kitchen closes an hour and a half before the shop closes each of those days. Not everything on the menu is available every day of the week. Sunday is strictly the Bento Boxes, tea, and desserts (they don't serve sandwiches, soups, and salads). On the weekdays you can order the 1/2 soup, 1/2 sandwich combo.
I hope this helps you plan your visit. The food is delicious, everyone I have ever brought here has loved it, and I feel from reading the reviews that the service is subjective.
2. expensive. REALLY overpriced. you can get the same tea at tealish which is just down a few blocks, a whole lot more of it for LESS then what you spend here on a tiny tin can of tea. also, the cakes are way overpriced for the amount of....
3. icing they put on top. the icing was very buttery, very thick and maybe an inch from the cake part. also, my cakes were ROCK HARD and they weren't frozen. makes me think they were stale, not pleasant AT ALL. would never buy cakes there again. i tried three different flavors and all three tasted the same, spare the insides DUE to the thick, sweet layer of buttery icing on top
i don't think i will ever go there again. the only plus to it is the decor. very lovely decor. everything else is just a scam. amazing what a little visual aid can do to people!
I've been visiting this amazing, sparkly establishment since it opened and never once received bad attitude, rude owners, poor management, rude/slow wait staff- nothing of what some people have mentioned here. The two sisters that own & run the Red Tea Box are ADORABLE!!!! Super sweet. One is soft spoken and the other more outgoing. Neither are in any way rude.. ?!? When my mother lived here (TO) we would go (TRTB) for lunch maybe once or twice a month and everyone was over the top delightful! In fact, after my mom moved away and I would visit the R. Tea Box to purchase tea or a chocolate to send to her- the owners would always give me large bags of tea, or goodies -on the house- (they didn't have to do this!) for my mom because they missed her.
That all said, I've witnessed a lot of people in Toronto be incredibly rude when they're out shopping or dining to wait staff/business owners. SO MANY people here (in Toronto) have an overwhelming narcissistic sense of entitlement it's disgusting. Add kids and a stroller and this sense of entitlement can grow tenfold.
The Red Tea Box has created a magical environment for people to visit and (re)experience childhood afternoon, make-believe tea parties, a bit Alice in Wonderland & Russian Tea House.
The Red Tea Box is beautifully decorated, full of whimsical, enchanting visuals (their cakes & cookies, and Bentos) definitely not a place for rude people that let their children run amok, yell, scream, or general chaos and crazy Nouveau riche bitches and, best of all the owners have no problem politely, and directly telling people to reign their children in, and telling people, no.
The Red Tea Box is well worth experiencing. Sit back, enjoy some Assam and a lovely cake.
I just went with my friends for high tea even after reading all these horrible reviews, and things must have changed because both the service and food were terrific. I told my friends about the previous reviews when we left, and they couldn't believe it either. Anyways I would reccomend it.
The food is wonderfully crafted, and it's obvious a lot of effort and thought goes into it. I recommend anyone reading this blog to take it with grain of salt and try the place for yourself.
I'm sure if you treat the staff with respect, you'll be treated with respect too! ...and while you are there, get a dessert, or shortbread to top off your great meal!
the ONLY part that makes me reconsider going back is an encounter i had with one of the other wait staff who was INCREDIBLY RUDE and CONDESCENDING on my way out.
at least at that point though it wasnt enough to have ruined my day.